Children of Men Stays With You (Archive)

Rare is the occasion that I am left speechless. In fact, there is only one other film that I can recall viewing in the theater where I left completely silent: Saving Private Ryan. Let me begin by saying that Children of Men left me speechless. I was left deep in thought. When asked what I thought about the film, I had no immediate answer. I just didn't know what to say.

All I could think was that it wasn't a bad film, but I didn't know how I felt about it. A strange situation certainly. And in the hours and, yes, days that followed I kept running over it again in my mind. What had I seen?

Alfonso Cuarón's adaptation of the novel by the same name (author P. D. James) is well crafted. Of that there is absolutely no doubt. Set in a futuristic Britain of the year 2027, humanity is facing its own demise as, for reasons unexplained, humans can no longer produce offspring. In fact, no human has been born for 18 years! And slowly, the world has drifted into chaos and ruin as African and Eastern European society has crumbled entirely leading to a mass migration of refugees to places such as Britain which somehow manage to soldier on, but in a very despairing fashion. Ultra-nationalism and the police state permeate most aspects of everyday life and internal strife keeps people living on edge.

The main character of the film is a man named Theo Faron (Clive Owen), an ex-political activist who just wants to live his life in a relative peace. In fact, the film opens with Theo barely escaping a terrorist bombing of a coffee shop. Soon, events find Theo in the middle of a desperate attempt to smuggle a young girl named Kee (an African refugee) out of the country so that she can find and join an almost mythical group known as "The Human Project". This is a an almost impossible task as the government and military strictly control immigration (which is simply outlawed) and emigration of British citizens. While little is known about the group itself, they are allegedly a group of scientist located in the Azores (Atlantic islands) searching for a way to save humanity. However, like most people, we never learn more of The Human Project beyond the rumors and speculation.

Theo is recruited to help smuggle the girl by his estranged ex-wife (Julianne Moore) and a group known as The Fishes who kidnap him off the street in broad daylight. Theo really doesn't know what is happening but soon learns some harrowing truths, about the Fishes, about the world and most importantly about the girl.

To my surprise, after a mostly calm and talky first act, the action of the film picks up with some very intense moments during the course of Theo and Kee's journey. Even so, the film seems to retain a quiet, almost reverent and reflective tone throughout, never letting the central issues get lost in the sometimes overwhelming chaos of the moment.

The direction and cinematography do an excellent job of allowing us to experience the story - its amazingly immersing. Perhaps was this no more apparent than during the final act of the film, specifically during a sequence (an incredible, un-cut tracking shot) in which Theo and Kee find themselves caught up in a violent uprising in a refugee camp. The prisoners rebel and the government troops engage in very intense street combat to quell the uprising and restore "order". The intensity and realism was on par with other works like Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.

I know that my biggest obstacle with this film was that I was not sure how to interpret it: is it more a film of despair or is it ultimately a film of hope? The very worst on human nature is seemingly always on display, and yet it is intricately juxtaposed against the very best qualities of humanity and the strongest sense of hope. Still, the bleakness of a "not-so-distant" future is compelling, especially when presented at a time of unparalleled technological advance in our own world. In the end, there is no definitive conclusion. We are presented the good and the bad and what the future holds is for us to decide. Perhaps it is best that way.

After much deliberation and reflection, I can confidently say that Children of Men is an outstanding example of science fiction, presenting ideas that provoke and require pause as opposed to simply a collection of flashy gimmicks and gadgets as are so often employed. I cannot say that I enjoyed Children of Men in a way that invites sitting down on a Saturday afternoon and watching it, but I did enjoy the storytelling and the way in which Cuarón handled the compelling subject matter. It most certainly drew me in and it is a good story; perhaps not ultimately a feel good story (that is for the viewer to conclude), but a good story. I am glad that I was able to see it on the big screen and for a film that left me speechless, I can only give credit where credit is due. 9/10